Wildfire in Hawaii, July 7, 2005

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, July 7, 2005
Start: 2005-07-07T00:30
End: 2005-07-07T04:00
Location: Hawaii

July 7, 2005 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire in Waianae came very close to homes on Kawili Street, though fire department officials decided against an evacuation of residents. The blaze consumed 350 acres of mainly brush land.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A wildfire in Waianae came very close to homes on Kawili Street, though fire department officials decided against an evacuation of residents. The blaze consumed 350 acres of mainly brush land. No serious injuries or property damage were reported. The origin of the fire was suspicious.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 6, 7:35 PM HST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 7:35 PM HST, 4 hours 55 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
735 PM HST WED JUL 6 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL MAINTAIN MODERATE TO LOCALLY
BRISK TRADE WINDS THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING
THIS WEEKEND. MOST AREAS WILL BE RATHER DRY THROUGH THURSDAY
NIGHT...WITH WINDWARD SHOWERS INCREASING BY FRIDAY. THE EXCEPTION
WILL BE WINDWARD BIG ISLAND...WHERE LIGHT SHOWERS AND CLOUDY SKIES
WILL CONTINUE.

&&
.UPDATE...
HAVE UPDATED FORECASTS TO INCREASE SKY COVER OVER MOST WINDWARD
AREAS AND DECREASE SKY COVER OVER MOST LEEWARD AREAS. HAVE ALSO
INCREASED POPS OVER WINDWARD BIG ISLAND...WHERE THE PILING OF LOW
CLOUD IS SQUEEZING OUT A FEW HUNDREDTHS IN MANY LOCATIONS. HAVE ALSO
MODIFIED WIND FORECAST FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS AND INTERIOR ZONES.
OTHERWISE...FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AND REASONING FROM EARLIER STILL
APPLIES.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
A SURFACE HIGH NORTH NORTHWEST OF HAWAII NEAR 37N 165W WITH RIDGES
EXTENDING EAST AND WEST IS BIG ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN MODERATE LOCALLY
BRISK TRADE WINDS THROUGH FRIDAY. THE HIGH IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN
SLIGHTLY AND MOVE TO THE WEST RESULTING IN A SMALL DROP IN THE
TRADES THIS WEEKEND AND THEREAFTER.

SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HIGH HAS SQUISHED THE MARINE LAYER...
OR MORE FORMALLY KNOWN AS THE SURFACE-BASED MIXED LAYER...DOWN TO A
SOMEWHAT SHALLOW 5000 FEET. CLOUDS WITHIN THE LAYER WILL THEREFORE
VERTICALLY CHALLENGED...AND WHAT FEW SHOWERS FALLING FROM THE CLOUDS
WILL BE LIGHT. THE ABUNDANCE OF STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS UPWIND OF THE
STATE VERIFIES THE STABLE ATMOSPHERE. THE CLOUDS SHOULD GAIN HEIGHT
AND THE SHOWERS SHOULD INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS WEEKEND WHEN THE
HIGH MOVES WEST AND THE SUBSIDENCE OVER THE STATE DECREASES.

ADDING TO THE MIX IS AN AREA OF SHOWERS THAT WAS ONCE TROPICAL
DEPRESSION CALVIN. THE SHOWERS ARE PRESENTLY ABOUT 1000 MILES EAST
OF THE BIG ISLAND NEAR 20N 140W AND MOVING TO THE WEST IN THE TRADE
FLOW. IT SHOULD TAKE 2 TO 3 DAYS FOR THE SHOWERS TO REACH US.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAALAEA BAY...BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS...BIG
ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS NEAR SOUTH POINT...ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL.

&&

BIRCHARD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Waianae Coast

When: July 7, 12:30 AM HST to 4:00 AM HST
Where: Waianae Coast forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 2005

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5465190.